Soldiers On Babysitting Duty
by giverofgrace
Summary: A couple of years into the future, Alex is married and has a kid. When Alex's wife dies during childbirth, what does he do with his son, Aiden, while he is sent on missions? To Brecon Beacons of course! Lots of soldiers to be put on babysitting duty!
1. Prologue

A/N: These are made up e-mail addresses so PLEASE don't be an idiot and try to send an e-mail to them. I'm sure that there is someone in this world who happens to have one of these e-mails and I do not wish for them to get a bunch of crazy e-mails. Thanks!

Also, I am attempting at getting it so that you guys can actually see the e-mails, so just bear with me and don't mind the spaces in between the letters of the e-mail addresses. I'm just experimenting and trying to figure out why they won't show up.

Prologue:

TO: b h a r r i s o n y a h o o . c o m

FROM: a r I d e r 0 0 7 y a h o o . c o m

SUBJECT: Aiden John Rider

_Sent October 5, 2002 at 5:56 PM_

Sergeant Harrison-

I'm guessing you can tell that this is Alex Rider, AKA Cub, from my e-mail address. If not, well now you know. And please, don't ask about the 007 part. My friend hacked my account and messed with it thinking it would be funny.

Anyways, I have a favor to ask of you. As you well know, my wife, Maycie, passed away during childbirth when John was born. And as such my occupation, I'm sure that you haven't forgotten what it is, prevents me from having any real guarantee that nothing will happen to me, thus leaving Aiden alone.

If such an event were to occur, it is my hope that you might be able to take Aiden in and look after him. I understand that you work at a SAS training camp and all, but I'm perfectly fine with Aiden growing up in that sort of environment. After all, with the Rider history and all, it might be a good idea for him to know how to at least defend himself a little bit.

I realize that because of your work you would be unable to look after him 24/7 while at Brecon Beacons training the soldiers, but I also realize that you have a camp full of men who can easily be persuaded into watching him. He's a good kid, and I'm sure none of the soldiers would mind taking a break from the rigorous training you put them through to keep their eyes on a kid.

At this point in reading the e-mail, you're probably wondering 'why me'. Well there's a specific reason I chose you. For one, I know you quite well. I mean, I come to Brecon Beacons often enough, and I lived there for two years. Granted I was pulled out for missions and spent a good deal of time in the hospital and all, but still. The second reason I chose you and not just some member of K-Unit is because the person who is the legal guardian of Aiden is going to need some power in the government. MI6 is sure to try and take Aiden, stick him with an agent to train him, and then use him in the exact same way they used me. I don't want that for him, as I'm sure you can realize why.

I understand that taking in a kid is a big responsibility, and fully understand if you are unable to take Aiden in. As Aiden is now two years old, MI6 has decided to start sending me on missions again. Which means that bad things are bound to start happening again.

Anyways, on the off chance that this is the last e-mail you ever receive from me, I just want to say thank you for all you did. You really helped me out as a teenager, and I hope that's a debt I'll be able to pay off some day.

Have fun torturing the new recruits next week.

-A. Rider

TO: a r i d e r 0 0 7 y a h o o . c o m

FROM: b h a r r i s o n y a h o o . c o m

SUBJECT: RE: Aiden John Rider

_Sent October 6, 2002 at 5:07 AM_

Alex Rider-

I have not the slightest idea as to why you did not think that I would be willing to take your son in if anything were to happen. I would be, well, honored to take Aiden in. And you're right about the whole MI6 thing. I think that that's exactly what would've happened.

So don't worry about your son anymore. And if you ever need a babysitter while you are off on one of your missions or something, don't hesitate to call me. Like you said, I have plenty of willing babysitters at my disposal.

So don't worry about Aiden at all. He's going to be fine whatever the future holds. I don't care if I have to go and talk to the Prime Minister himself, I will not let MI6 get their hands on your child. No offense, but MI6 kind of killed you (on the inside at least).

But you really have nothing to worry about. Nothing's going to happen to you. Don't you remember about your luck of the devil?

-Sergeant B. Harrison

Brecon Beacons Training Facility

PS: Nice e-mail address. I'd hate to be that friend who did that.

TO: b h a r r i s o n y a h o o . c o m

FROM: a r i d e r 0 0 7 y a h o o . c o m

SUBJECT: RE: Aiden John Rider

_Sent October 6, 2002 at 8:23 AM_

Sergeant Harrison-

Thank you for taking my son in. Remember: If there is ever ANYTHING I can do for you, I will. I was wondering if I could send you a box to store for a couple of years…

It's basically everything that I was going to tell Aiden (when I deemed him ready and not before his 15th birthday), but over the years I've written it all down-just in case. MI6 doesn't know about it and they never need to.

Thank you for your offer as a babysitter. I may just take you up on that offer sometime, but I'll make sure to give you as much notice as possible.

And I haven't done anything too drastic to my one friend-yet. When we were teenagers he always stole my phone and changed the ringtone on me and locked it, so it figures that he did this.

Once again, thank you.

-A. Rider

PS: Here's a piece of advice I learned as a teenager: YOU'RE NEVER TOO YOUNG TO DIE

A/N: So here's the prologue! I hope you enjoyed it! And I will be updating this for those of you who might think this was a one-shot. Tell me what you think!


	2. Arrival

Chapter 1:

The Sergeant heard the crunch of tires on gravel outside of his office and frowned. All of his units were back already to brush up on their training, and MI6 hadn't called to say they were sending another agent. 'Who could be here?' he thought. Just as he was about to stand up and go to the door and figure out who the heck it was, someone knocked on his door.

The Sergeant frowned once again. He hadn't heard anyone approach. The solid hard wood floors in the hallway made it so that he could hear anyone who approached his door, but no steps had been heard.

"Come in," he finally called out, deciding to see what the person wanted.

The door slowly opened, revealing Cub and Fox.

"Hi, Sergeant," Cub said lazily.

"Cub! Fox! What are you two doing here?" the Sergeant asked, surprised.

"Well, I was kind of wondering if I could take you up on that offer that you made two and half years ago about babysitting Aiden…" Cub stated, looking slightly unsure of himself.

"Of course!" the Sergeant said, surprised that Cub would think that he would go back of the offer. It was then that he noticed the little figure hiding behind Fox's and Cub's legs, one arm wrapped around each of the two legs he was standing in between.

"Thanks," Fox said. "Normally I would've watched Aiden, but Blunt is sending the two of us on a mission together, so I couldn't. Anyways, Aiden's a good kid and shouldn't be too much of an issue. Just watch it-he has a pouty face that makes your insides melt."

"Does he now?" the Sergeant asked, amused. "You know, that could work very nicely…Do I have permission to use Aiden to get the lazy soldiers to do things? I mean, right now I have a bunch of soldiers in training, along with a bunch of soldiers who are here to brush up on their training."

Fox laughed, "So basically a bunch of know-it-all idiots?"

"Yup. That about sums it up. Think they know everything."

"Ahh…I like those types of people," Cub added.

"What? Why?"

Cub smirked, "They're the type of people that always underestimate me. They take one look at how old I look and immediately don't think I'm a threat."

"Which is exactly the issue that most people face. They see an innocent looking kid like you and think that you're no big threat to them in the slightest. And then you go all super-spy on them and they start to regret their decision," Fox added.

"Except for the fact that I'm not a kid anymore. I'm 26, so I just look like someone new to the business who is inexperienced."

"Yea, well, I still have to think of you as kid. And you don't exactly look 26. You look more like 23."

"Which works nicely to my advantage. Anyways, Sergeant, go right ahead and use it to your advantage. I might add that Aiden's fluent in English, Spanish, French and knows a little German. He's also a purple belt in karate and can read. If any of that works in favor of you, go right ahead and use it. I'm sure Aiden would love to help out in any way he could, isn't that right, Aiden?"

Aiden's eyes literally lit up, "Yes! Can I really corrupt the soldiers?"

Sergeant laughed, "Yes, you can Aiden. You know, Cub, I'm really liking your kid. I think the two of us are going to get along quite well."

Cub laughed also, "Well, he is a little evil genius mastermind."

Fox snorted, "Like father like son. The apple certainly did not fall far from the tree. Sergeant, just watch him. He also inherited his father's natural curiosity and dare-devil nature."

"I'll make sure he stays safe."

Cub bent down to talk to Aiden while Fox and the Sergeant exchanged small talk.

"Hey, Aiden. Remember what we talked about at home? About being good and not causing any trouble while you're here?"

"Yeah, Daddy. Be good. Don't cause too many problems. Try not to back-talk to any of the instructors or anyone else. Refrain from getting myself killed. Don't make the soldiers too mad. Listen to what Sergeant tells me and follow what he says as if it's the law. Don't go to the shooting range. Don't wander into the woods without Sergeant or a soldier appointed by him."

"And the exceptions?"

"Well, since Sergeant's word is law, anything he allows me to do, I can do. With his permission I can make the soldier mad and show them up at a bunch of activities. Oh, and if K-Unit's here, then make them as mad as I want and if they get mad, blame it on you and tell them to take it out on you, right?"

"Exactly. Good memory, Aiden. Now, just remember. There's lots of snacks in your bag, but please try to eat the meals here. And I know they're disgusting mush, but try not to complain. If you hear any soldier complaining, you can be cheeky and talk about how wonderful the food is and how ungrateful they are and what sissy's they are. And don't forget to have fun. And cheating at cards is allowed."

"I remember, Daddy. Thanks. I love you. Come home soon. I'll miss you."

Cub swept his son up into his arms and whispered, "Love you too. I'll be home as soon as I can. Hope you have a great time. Try not to hurt yourself."

Cub put Aiden back down on the ground and found Fox and Sergeant done talking.

"Come on, Fox. We better get going. Our flight leaves in 2 hours and we still have to get to the airport. Sergeant, I'll leave Aiden's duffle bag in here and you can move it later?"

"Sure can, Cub. And don't worry. Aiden and I are going to have lots of fun, aren't we?"

"YES!" Aiden practically shouted.

Cub shook his head, "That's what I'm afraid of. Try not to destroy the camp and reduce the soldiers to a bunch of whimpering babies, Aiden."

"Now why would I do such a thing as that?" Aiden said with the most innocent 5 year old expression on his face.

"Just saying, the camp must be in one piece when I get back or someone's going in the time out corner," Cub warned his son.

Aiden's eyes went wide, "NO! Not the time out corner!"

"Remember, Sergeant," Fox butted in. "Aiden is still only 5 years old no matter how smart he is, or how old he acts. And NEVER play him at cards. He wins every time, just like his father. Cub taught him how to cheat, and this kid is amazing at it. In five minutes I lost 50 bucks to him. And I even know how to cheat and do it efficiently."

Sergeant's eyes went wide before a devious smile spread across his face. "Thanks for the warning. I'm thinking that this kid is going to 'convince' me to allow the soldiers to have a night off and then show up halfway through and ask them to keep an eye on him. Aiden's going to 'happen' to have pick-pocketed his dad and can use his pouty face to get them to allow him to play cards-which they will most likely be playing. He can gain a lot of money, then we can use that money and throw some sort of party for the soldiers and allow them to actually have a day off. What do you think, Aiden?"

A smile that mirrored the Sergeants was on the boy's face, "I'm thinking you have yourself a plan. I'll try not to take too much from anyone."

Fox's eyebrows were raised, "Cub, I think your son is bringing out the evil mastermind in the Sergeant. And have you ever heard of a criminal mastermind that has a good streak in them? Because that sounds like your kid."

Cub looked slightly worried, "Maybe this wasn't such a great idea leaving him here. I mean, I didn't mean to destroy the SAS camp…just stick them on babysitting duty."

Sergeant laughed once more, "It'll still be standing when you guys get back. We're just going to have a little bit of fun."

"So you keep saying," Cub replied, eyes narrowed. "Why does it feel like we've been saying the same thing over and over again for the past couple minutes? Why is the conversation always returning to the idea of the SAS camp being destroyed?"

"Seriously, Cub, you worry too much," Sergeant countered.

"I think that Cub has a right to worry. But we have to stop worrying, Alex. We really need to get going," Fox interrupted.

"Bye Aiden, bye Sergeant. See you sometime in the near future. Sergeant, I'll call you about an idea I have for a training op. And yes, it involves your favorite boy, Aiden," Cub called out while walking out the door.

"Bye," was all Fox said before following in suit.

Once his office door had closed, Sergeant turned to Aiden, "Ready to have some fun?"


	3. Talking in Circles

**A/N: Sorry for not updating for a while. When I put 'Caught in the Act' on hold, I kind of put this one on hold too, just without telling you guys. But a couple of people were asking for the next chapter, and so I figured I should just write it anyways. 'Get Out and Don't Look Back' only had one chapter left, and 'Death Cuts Sharper than Knives' only has a couple. So I took a break from those and wrote this chapter. Hope you like it!**

Chapter 2:

It was raining outside…again. The four soldiers trudged soggily to their cabin wishing, not for the first time, that it wouldn't rain all of the time. But who were they kidding? This was Brecon Beacons.

They had about 20 minutes to kill before dinner. 20 minutes to shower, get changed, and go right back out into the soaking wet rain.

As they stepped onto the roofed porch, Eagle opened his mouth, "You know, I'm really glad that Cub came here. The Sergeant never listened to us when we told him that rain-proof army jackets would be a good idea until Cub came along and suggested it."

"Yea," Snake agreed. "Not to mention the roofed porches. Sergeant complains that we always have so much water and mud in our cabin. Cub comes along and POOF! Suddenly the Sergeant has the great idea to give us a place to take off our muddy shoes and dripping coats. That kid worked wonders here."

"And look!" Badger exclaimed, "My shirt is still dry! Remember those days when we could wring out our shirts?"

All four of them nodded in agreement.

Badger was the first one through the door. He had barely made it through before he stopped. Eagle, who was directly behind him, ran into him hard enough to push them both forward a few paces, allowing Snake and Wolf to see what was going on.

"What in the-" Wolf stopped mid rant as he saw what everyone else had seen.

There, sitting in the middle of the floor was a little boy. He was sitting Indian style on the floor, a pad of paper on his lap, a pencil in his small right hand.

Snake, being a father of two little girls, was the first on to act. He walk up to the boy until his was about 2 feet away before squatting down.

"Hey, buddy. Whatcha doing there?"

Without looking up, the boy responded, "I'm writing a letter to my daddy."

"How very nice. I'm sure he'll enjoy reading it. What's your daddy's name? If you tell us, we can help you find him so that you can deliver the letter."

"His name is Daddy. He doesn't have any other name. And you won't find him."

"Why won't we find him?"

The four soldiers could almost hear the smile in the boy's voice as he responded, "Because he's the best hider in the entire world. But we aren't playing hide-and-go-seek."

"What are you playing?"

"Nothing. He's gone away. He told me to be a good boy and listen to the Sarge."

"The 'Sarge'?" Snake asked, amused.

"That's what daddy called the man in the big house."

Behind Snake Eagle and Badger raised eyebrows at each other. No one called the Sergeant 'Sarge' and lived to tell the tale.

Meanwhile, Snake was trying a new direction, "Hey buddy. What does your mommy call your daddy?"

There was a long moment of silence from the boy. Snake might've noticed how hard the boy was thinking about his answer-if he could see the boy's face. But he was still intently and slowly spelling out words on the paper.

"I don't know," the boy finally confessed.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Eagle asked, coming up and taking a similar position as Snake.

"I don't remember my mommy."

"Why not?"

"Daddy doesn't really like to talk about it."

"Talk about what?" Badger questioned, getting slightly annoyed at the kid for not having answers.

"Mommy."

"Why not?" Snake cut in again.

"Because he loved her and she went away."

Snake, Eagle, and Badger were silent for a moment. It seemed as if this kid's mom had just up and left the family. Wolf was too deep in thought to register the words. Something about what the kid had said had struck a chord in his memory.

"Oh," Eagle finally managed to get out.

"But Daddy says that she's up in the sky looking down on me and that I'll get to see her someday. And every time there's a shooting star, she's reminding me of how much she loves me."

"Oh," Snake replied this time. So the kid's mom hadn't left. She had died.

"Yeah. Daddy takes me out into the yard sometimes at night, and we just lie on the ground and look up at Mommy and sometimes Daddy talks to her."

"Do you do this often?"

"When Daddy's home from his business trips. My uncle and him go away a lot. They're international bankers."

"Ooohhhh," the soldiers all knew what this meant. This boy's father worked for MI6. That would probably explain why the boy was here-to a certain extent at least.

Suddenly, Wolf knew who the kid was. He walked forward and picked up the blonde child. The boy gave a slight cry of shock as he was picked up into the air and his paper dropped to the floor.

Not understanding what Wolf was doing, Snake started to yell, "Put him back down! You're probably scaring him right now!"

But Wolf just ignored Snake and settled the boy onto his hip.

"Put me down," the boy protested.

"How about no," Wolf replied with a smile.

The boy's head lifted up and he looked into the face of the man holding him. His entire face lit up with excitement and he threw his arms around Wolf's neck. (Which thoroughly confused Eagle, Snake and Badger).

"Uncle Wolf! Daddy didn't tell me you were here! This is going to be sooooo much fun!"


	4. Shamed Sergeant

A/N: You great readers deserved this chapter. I got over 20 reviews in a matter of a few hours (which is more than I've gotten for any of my other stories in that short of an amount of time). So I figured, if I've got this many people waiting patiently for the next chapter on this story….why make them wait? There were more reviews for this than Death Cuts Sharper than Knives, so this one is getting updated first.

Chapter 3:

Snake raised his eyebrows, "UNCLE Wolf? Seriously?"

Wolf tried to look indignant, "Yes, UNCLE Wolf. I'll have you know that my godson is rather fond of me. So there."

Badger practically choked, "Godson? This is your godson? Who in their right mind would name you godfather over some sweet innocent kid?"

Wolf snorted, "He's innocent-right up until the time he beats you at cards and walks away with your money."

"You taught your godson how to win poker?" Snake asked.

"Nope. That was his dad's doing. Never play him at poker either."

"What kind of father would teach his son how to cheat at poker?" Eagle questioned, looking shocked at the notion.

In response to his question, Wolf turned to the kid he was holding, "Aiden. Look up at the soldiers behind me."

The boy raised his head dramatically.

Snake stumbled back in surprise. Eagle gasped. Badger's eyes opened wide.

"C-C-Cub?" Snake finally managed to get out.

"Hey! That's what Uncle Wolf calls Daddy!" the boy cried out, excited.

Snake turned to Wolf. "Explain. Now."

Wolf huffed, "Fine. As you've guessed, this is Cub's kid. As you know, Cub is an agent. I ran back-up for both Fox and Cub on several different occasions-separately from the times that we did it as a unit. On one of these occasions, Fox borrowed my gun and forgot to give it back. So a few nights later, I went over to his house to get it back. Cub and Aiden here were over for dinner and that's when I met the kid. I had known that Cub had gotten married and that his wife died, but I didn't know about the kid. So there you have it. After I knew that there was a kid, I visited Cub often when we were on leave and stuff and babysat a few times."

"You. Babysat a kid. And they still liked you? What has this world come to?" Eagle asked dramatically.

"Oh, shut up," Wolf replied.

Badger adopted a knowing look, "Wolf might pretend to be a fierce predatory man, but inside he's really just a big old teddy bear. Kids can't help but love a teddy bear."

The sound of flesh hitting flesh resounded in the room as Wolf smacked Badger in the back of the head.

"Ouch!"

Wolf smirked, "Now who's the fragile girly teddy bear?"

"Now. Who's supposed to be watching you right now, Aiden?" Snake questioned.

"Weeeelllll….."

"Aiden. What did your daddy tell you before he left?" Wolf asked, knowing full well what cub would've instructed.

"To listen to the Sarge, be a good boy, not to go with any soldier unless Sarge tells me to, not to take too much money from any one soldier while playing poker and a whole lot of other nonsense that I don't need to pay attention to," Aiden replied with a smile that could melt chocolate.

"Nonsense?" Wolf questioned sternly.

"It's just a bunch of boring old rules and warnings and safety and stuff. Unimportant," Aiden stated dismissively.

Wolf smiled, "You are truly your father's son. And we'll see about the 'unimportant' rules."

"Yea, yea. Blah blah blah. I've heard it all before."

"Anyways. Where does the Sergeant think you are?"

"Umm…he, uh, told me I could go explore!"

"In the rain."

"Yup! In the rain!"

Wolf sighed and looked at his unit, "We should probably go to dinner before the Sergeant calls in all units to go search the forest for him."

The other three quickly nodded and ran around to get their shoes and coats on quick before heading out toward to mess hall.

(PAGE BREAK PAGE BREAK PAGE BREAK PAGE BREAK PAGE BREAK)

K-Unit was the first unit there. As such, they managed to hide Aiden under their table without anyone seeing him.

The units slowly trickled in. The ones sitting in the tables surround K-Unit's all noticed the kid and asked about him, but Wolf just smiled and told them to keep it a secret. Mystified, they did.

A few minutes into the meal, the door burst open and the Sergeant strode in frantically.

"By any chance, have any of you happened to see a little boy around camp. 5 years old?"

The units who had noticed Aiden glanced at K-Unit but said nothing.

K-Unit hid a smile. This was going to get fun.

"No, Sergeant. Why would there be a kid here?" Wolf called out.

"Umm…well. It's a long story. One we can get into after we find the kid."

"What did you do? Misplace him?"

"Well, no. Not exactly…" The Sergeant was looking pretty uncomfortable.

"Ooohhh. You were playing hide and go seek."

"Not exactly that either. I told him to stay in my office for a few minutes while I went to check up on training. When I got back he had disappeared."

Snake took this opportunity to talk, "You know, kids are like that. They never stay in one place and LOVE to explore. Especially those who got an extreme curiosity from their parents or dad."

"Yea…that would be this kid."

"Which is why it is probably best that someone keeps a careful eye on this kid so that he doesn't run off again." The Sergeant didn't get the subtle hint Snake was giving him.

"And it would be an extreme shame if said boy's father was suddenly informed of his missing son approximately 6 hours after he had left. I mean, perhaps the boy has found shelter from the rain out there, but who knows? Imagine how terrible it would be if the boy's father lost both his son and his wife in the matter of five years? Imagine how said father would probably crack and react very badly," Wolf continued with a smile, feeling a bit sorry for the Sergeant.

The Sergeant opened his mouth as if to respond before closing it and thinking thoughtfully for a moment.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed and lost the uncertainty that had been in them previously.

"Alright, Wolf. You've had your fun and games. Now, where is he?"

"Where is who?" Eagle asked, seemingly oblivious.

"Aiden."

"Who is Aiden? I've never met any Aidens," Eagle questioned innocently.

"Cub's kid," Sergeant replied, getting impatient.

"Nope. Does not sound like the kid that was in our hut writing a letter to his daddy."

The Sergeant glared at all of K-Unit. The rest of the soldiers were silently laughing to themselves-especially because they knew that K-Unit was about to get some cruel and unusual punishment for their behavior.

Snake cracked first, "Alright, Aiden. Come out and go to the Sergeant before he blows steam out of his ears."

A giggle was heard, and Aiden crawled out from under the table before walking over to the Sergeant.

The Sergeant gave one last glare before picking Aiden up and carrying him to the door, "We're going to go get some REAL food while you guys get to eat that mush."

Eagle could not stop himself from calling out, "I thought you said that eating mush helps build character."

The Sergeant smiled back at him, "I did. But I already have character to spare. And, well, Aiden's a Rider. That in of itself should tell you something."

Directly before he opened the door to go outside, the Sergeant spoke one last time, "And as punishment, K-Unit, you guys are going to be the main babysitters of Aiden here. If he runs off, you lose him, or you scare him in any way, there will be hell to pay. Have fun keeping track of him! You start tomorrow."

What the Sergeant was not expecting was for Aiden to clap his hands in glee and cry out, "Yay! More time with Uncle Wolfie!"

The Sergeant face-palmed at this new development.


	5. The Little Terror

Chapter 4:

Day two of Aiden being at Brecon Beacons and everyone was ready to drop. The kid had way too much energy for his own good. The soldiers always joked about Eagle being a five year old, but now that they were experiencing one, they realized just how lucky they were that Eagle was as mature as he was.

The kid was a nightmare. He played hide-and-go-seek constantly…but with his own rules. It was called him running away and making the units chase him all over the camp, causing destruction to follow him. He was truly his father's son.

At this point in time it was dinner and most units were heading to the mess hall to eat. L-Unit was repairing two of their windows that had not survived the flying apples. F-Unit was setting the targets back up that had not survived the tornado of a little boy and a unit desperately trying to catch him. M-Unit was evening out the dirt running path where a certain boy had dugs holes and built dirt castles.

P-Unit was trying to figure out how to make mud back into dirt. Needless to say, there was nothing they could do and that running track just couldn't be used for a few days. And K-Unit, of course, was still chasing down the boy, or little terror as most now called him.

Realizing the time all of the units who were on clean-up duty headed to dinner.

The Sergeant stopped K-Unit as they made their way in, "Where's Aiden?"

Wolf sighed, "No clue. The little bugger disappeared an hour ago and, surprisingly, has not left a trail of destruction for us to follow. We'll continue looking after we get some food, if that is alright."

The Sergeant nodded, "Yea, that's fine. Who knew a kid could have so much energy and cause so many problems?"

"Well, we should've guessed. The kid's spent his entire life with Cub. Who knows what he's been doing or what Cub's been teaching him," Snake replied.

"Yea," Eagle agreed. "Cub's a handful, so who's to say his kid won't be?"

"You'd think an adult spy with a kid would be a little bit more mature and responsible," Badger added.

"He's very responsible. And too mature for his own good," Wolf countered. "Just not around us. We're constantly still treating him like the teenager who showed up here. And since his teenage years were kind of stripped away from him, he lives in them whenever he's around us."

The Sergeant nodded in agreement, "I guess that makes sense. Go get something to eat and then continue your search. If you haven't found him by 1900 (7:00, I think) hours, come find me and I'll send out a few more units to aid you."

Nodding, K-Unit entered the mess hall where they found all of the other units.

"Hey Wolf! Where's the kid?" Hawk called out with a smile on his face. Most of the units had spent all day laughing at K-Unit. The best of the best being brought down by a five-year-old kid.

Wolf shrugged, "Who knows? Knowing his father and him, he could very easily be in Russia by now."

Hawk's unit laughed, as did many others, but not a smile graced any of K-Unit's faces.

"He was being serious, you know," Badger replied. "Cub pulls these disappearing acts all of the time. And while he might not have made it to Russia in an hour, I wouldn't put it past him to bribe some random kid with blonde hair to destroy the camp while he got out of the country unnoticed. His father's done it before and Aiden's almost a carbon copy. Just a few year's younger."

There were a few snorts coming from the section that held the new trainees, but K-Unit ignored them, got their food, and sat down at an empty table.

Halfway through their meal, the door opened slowly and a little boy with blonde hair tentatively walked in and stumbled his way over to K-Unit's table before promptly climbing into Wolf's lap.

"Aiden…" Wolf practically growled at the kid. His frustration from the day was catching up to him creating an angry wolf. Which never ends well.

Aiden looked up into Wolf's face, "I'm sorry Uncle Wolfie. I didn't want to make you guys run all over the place. But my daddy said I had to torture you guys if you were here. Daddy said to blame him and tear him apart if you get mad. I don't know why he said that as you would never try to tear anyone apart. You're too nice. Please forgive me. I promise to be better. I'm really really sorry, Uncle Wolf-"

As Aiden continued to babble in a completely adorable way, those looking at Wolf's face noticed him trying really hard to hold onto his anger and remember why he had to scold/punish Aiden. Those stupid eyes….Wolf tore his gaze away from the little boy's puppy dog eyes and instead stared at the opposite wall.

"Uncle Wolfie? Are you mad at me? I'm really sorry…"

Not on their own accord, Wolf's eyes darted down and stared at the adorable face of the five year old. His chin was quivering and his large brown eyes were filling up with tears.

Wolf's final strand of resolve snapped, "Of course not, Aiden. I could never be mad at my godson. Just try not to do it again, ok?" Wolf had used his gentlest, most soothing voice for the boy and snickers could be heard in the background.

"Ok, Wolfie," Aiden replied before yawning cutely and curling up in Wolf's lap. The man's arms wrapped around the boy's small frame and Aiden snuggled closer. Within a few minutes he was dead asleep.

Wolf smiled down at the child before looking up and noticing almost everyone staring at him and fighting smirks.

"So what happened the terrifying big bad Wolf?" Falcon, leader of N-Unit asked from halfway across the room.

Wolf growled at him, but it was Snake who responded, "Just because Wolf gets protective over his Cub doesn't mean he still won't kill you for that comment."

"Yea," Eagle butted in. "You should've seen it when Cub showed up at our flat with three bullet wounds. Wolf and Fox were practically fighting over who was more protective."

"Hey!" Wolf cried out indignantly. "Cub was just a 14 year old kid when he first showed up and he had done more by the age of 15 than most of us in this room! It's not my fault that kid has no self-preservation whatsoever and goes on suicide missions!"

"We can understand Cub, Wolf, but what about the little terror currently sleeping in your lap? I think the big bad Wolf's gone soft," Albatross, also from N-Unit, replied.

"You haven't seen his eyes! They could melt butter!" Wolf defended.

"That's true," The Sergeant agreed and everyone turned around to see him standing just inside the door. "Cub warned me about that. Said he once convinced Fox to give him 20 bucks. The kid's gonna be a real heart-breaker when he grows up."

"See?" Wolf replied. "Even Fox can't keep his resolve up against the kid. And if Fox can't, then I've got no chance."

Nods and mumbled agreements were heard throughout the room as the older units thought of the SAS turned MI6 Fox. He was one of the best in the business. Of course, Cub was THE best, but Fox wasn't too far behind.

"Now men!" The Sergeant interrupted several trains of thoughts. "Since Aiden was such a terror today, I've decided that you all can get tomorrow evening and night off as a break from him. You can go wherever and do whatever as long as you stay on campus and no one gets drunk. Ok?"

Cheers were heard from one section of the mess hall. The Sergeant laughed, "Not you guys! Why would you get the evening off? You have training to do! And lovely midnight swims to swim!"

"But sir!" One brave soul tried to protest.

"No buts about it! They get the evening off because they've already been through training. You, on the other hand, have not. They've been into war. You have not. They've survived Cub. You have never met Cub. No. You will not have the evening off and extra activities will be planned just for your protesting. How does that sound?"

Silence ensued.

"That's what I thought. And I would pay attention in your survival classes this week. Next Monday you guys are going on a surprise 4-day survival course. And before you start protesting, I don't want to hear it. Take it up with Cub if you want. He's the one who came up with the idea. Not that I think you'll ever meet the kid."

"Ummm….Sergeant?" Badger tentatively asked.

"What is it?"

"Cub's not a kid anymore. He's 26."

"He'll be a kid until I say otherwise. Now don't you all have somewhere to be in the next 3 minutes?"

There was a brief pause as most tried to figure out what the Sergeant meant before it dawned on everyone that they had training to be at in 3 minutes. And their instructors were big on punishing those who were late.

Chairs scraping, trays crashing onto the window into the kitchen, and a pounding of boots were all that was heard in the next few minutes. Wolf looked at the Sergeant after everyone else had left and slowly got up, shifting Aiden into his arms as he did so. The kid was still dead asleep. Wolf put his tray away and turned around to a smirking Sergeant. He smirked in return before lazily exiting the mess hall and making his way towards K-Unit's bunk. After all, they still had 25 minutes before training started. Too bad he was the only one who had looked at his watch…


	6. Poker Face

Chapter 5:

The evening was there. The time everyone had been waiting for. Well, maybe not the new recruits, but the war-hardened soldiers were. Large tables had been set up, music had been chosen, and food had been set out. At times during the evening, it would be hard to tell this group apart from a large mass of teenagers.

"Hey Wolf!" Badger called out. "Aren't you glad that Cub came back for a visit like ten years ago?"

Wolf gave him a strange look, not understanding how that particular visit had any significance.

"No! Wait! Remember? That's when Cub yelled at the Sergeant for three hours straight to convince the guy to get us better food!" Badger yelled desperately after his unit leader's retreating back. But Wolf just kept on walking. He was on his way to find some more sane people. Like Falcon. Or Panther. Or maybe even Snake. But definitely not Eagle or Badger.

Glancing around, Wolf noticed that Snake was sitting in a corner with all of his medic buddies sharing knowledge they had picked up in the field.

"Wolf! Hey! Get over here!"

Wolf looked up sharply as his name was yelled and noticed Falcon and Panther waving him over to their table where a game of poker had been set up. The Sergeant hadn't said no to gambling games. Therefore, almost the entire group was playing some game or another. Money was exchanging hands and laughter rang out.

As he sat down, Wolf noticed that Eagle had already gambled all of his money away. Of course he did. The only good that came out of it was that this was an SAS camp and they were all relatively close. Plus, everyone was just playing for fun. Therefore, people like Eagle wouldn't end up broke. Some money would be given back to him-just not all of it. Eagle wouldn't notice anyways.

"So, gents," Falcon started, looking around the table at the six present. "How about we get a game going?"

Smirks were exchanged. They were SAS. They were the best of the best. And this particular group of six just happened to be the best of the best at gambling. They gave nothing away. Their tactics were explicit. They knew when to retreat and fold, and when to go all in. They were the experts.

The cards were dealt. Nothing showed in any of their faces. Well, except for an eagerness to play. They hadn't had the chance to play poker or blackjack or anything of the sort with each other in a while.

Wolf had been ranked number four in the SAS. But he knew that was about to change. He had made mistakes last time and relied solely on luck. He had been ill prepared. He had kept everything fair. But everyone knew that there was no rule book in war. Start out with a basic plan, then just go with the flow. Gain the upper hand by any means possible.

The top six players in the SAS were known for their cheating. It was the only way to get anywhere. But what made them the best was not getting caught at it. Wolf had been caught last time. He wasn't that great at cheating. But things were about to change.

"Good luck," Wolf commented to the rest of the men sitting at the table.

Five faces were instantly put on guard.

"Why?" Cougar asked carefully.

Wolf shrugged, "Can't I just give a little support to my fellow SAS soldiers?"

Panther laughed, "The kid really has made you go soft."

Wolf ignored the comment. He would tell them the real reason for the 'good luck' later. After the game was over.

He was determined to get at least 3rd ranking, if not higher. And this goal would be achieved. Because Cub was the master at cheating. And Cub had spent a couple of hours with Wolf not too long ago.

Let the game begin…

(Page Break)

The door slowly opened. The creak was masked by the loudly playing music (it wasn't blasting seeing how the soldiers still wanted to be able to year each other). In stepped a tall man and a small boy.

Eagle glanced up and noticed the two in the doorway. He quickly hurried over.

"Hey, Sarge! What's up?"

The Sergeant glared at him, "I'll let that comment slide for now because I need a favor. HQ called an emergency meeting that I need to attend and I can't watch Aiden. Can you just keep him in here? He'll be good. And I don't care what kind of gambling you guys are doing in here. His dad's taught him the very basics already. So you don't have to worry about corrupting him. Thanks. Bye!"

The Sergeant practically ran out of the room after surreptitiously winking at Aiden.

Eagle stared after him before snapping out of it and looking down at the kid, a slow smile spreading across his face, "What did he say about corruption and gambling?"

Aiden looked up at the man, "Something about the fact that I know how to gamble and that my dad has already corrupted me?"

Eagle nodded once decisively, "Good. We both heard the same thing. So neither of us will be in trouble if your dad doesn't like my idea. It'll be all the Sergeant's fault. Now why don't you come over here and we can meet some of my friends…"

(Page Break)

The Sergeant laughed quietly to himself as he sat in his office, watching the security feed from the dining hall.

A sly smile had just spread across Eagle's face and the man was now pulling Aiden after him.

The Sergeant hit the record button. Fox and Cub would want to be able to watch this when they got back. Plus, if for some reason Cub suddenly got mad that Aiden was corrupted by SAS soldiers, then there would be video evidence that the Sergeant was not involved in it at all. From the video, it was obvious that Eagle was the one who started it.

Reaching over, the Sergeant opened the box of pizza and inhaled the wonderful cheesy smell. His boots went up on the desk and he leaned back in his comfortable chair.

And with a slice of pizza in one hand and a remote in the other, the Sergeant settled down for a wonderful evening of reality comedy.

(Page Break)

Alex sighed as he settled down onto the hotel bed, lying next to Ben's sitting form.

"Think they've completely corrupted Aiden yet?"

Although the room had cameras in it, no bugs had been found. So although they had to keep up their cover at all times, anything could be said without fear of the enemy hearing.

Ben looked down at the younger man from where he was flipping through channels on the TV.

"Didn't you expect him to be corrupted? They're soldiers, remember? And Aiden's just a little kid."

Alex sighed once more, and felt the older man's fingers fiddle with his hair. They had a cover to keep, after all.

"I mean, the kid's already partially corrupted. It's just what comes with being trained," Alex replied, leaning into the touch subconsciously.

"So then what's wrong? Are you regretting training your son like Ian trained you?"

"Definitely, no. After Blunt and Jones have seen what a success a teenage agent is, they'll be recruiting Aiden by the time he's twelve. He needs to be ready for whatever is thrown at him."

"Plus, he's a Rider. You guys aren't exactly known for making friends."

"Exactly. I just feel like I'm taking his life away from him."

Ben gave up flipping through channels and turned the TV off, throwing the remote onto the bedside table. "You're just getting him prepared. The heads are going to do anything in their power to get that kid. How would you feel if you found out that your dad was an MI6 agent and hadn't taught you anything yet you still had to go into the field?"

"You're right."

"Aren't I always?" Ben replied with a cheeky smile.

Alex ignored him, "But Aiden is not going to even think about working for MI6 until he's at least 18."

Ben slipped off of the bed and changed into a pair of comfortable shorts to sleep in. Noting the temperature, he left his shirt off. "I hate to say it, but you might not have a choice. One day MI6 is going to choose whether to have a teenage agent or not. And we both know what they will choose. And it's obvious to anyone that they'll have to choose between you or a teenage agent."

Alex nodded as Ben turned off the light and lay down on the bed, "And we both know that they'll choose Aiden. I may be valuable, but he's a kid. No one will expect him. So I'll become expendable."

Ben snorted, "The only issue is that kid's don't have the element of surprise anymore. You killed it."

"Sorry."

Ben pulled the younger man close so that his head was resting on Ben's chest. Ben's arms wrapped protectively around Alex.

"Promise me something, Ben?"

"Anything, kiddo."

"For one, I'm not a kid. But promise me that when MI6 decides to kill me off to get to Aiden that you won't let MI6 get the kid? I don't want Aiden to have a life like me. He needs to have his teenage years free of MI6."

"I promise. But MI6 won't kill you off. For one, they'd never be able to. And knowing you, you'd probably just go and join a terrorist group if they threaten to. And then MI6 would be in real danger."

Ben's hand was back running through Alex's hair. Just like he had done to comfort the kid after each nightmare night after night. Back when Alex still needed a guardian and was sent to live with Ben.

Silence reigned for several moments, and Ben was beginning to think that Alex was asleep when the younger man spoke once more.

"Why do you think Blunt and Jones find it necessary to send us on all of these missions where we have to pretend to be partners? It's weird acting like we're married when you're basically my dad. Ugh. That just sounds so wrong."

"You do have a way with words, Alex. It wasn't half as repulsing until you worded it like that."

"Sorry."

"Maybe it's because we're the only two agents in MI6 that have any sort of relationships with each other? Even if it is more father/son ish. Or maybe our acting skills are just better?"

"They had better not touch a hair on Aiden's head," Alex mumbled before he fell asleep.

Ben smiled at Alex once more before following in suit.

(Page Break)

It was down to three of them. Wolf, Heron, and Falcon. The tension in the room was thicker than Jell-O. Wolf could feel several sets of eyes on their table as everyone waited to see who would be the next reigning champion of poker. Even the medics had come out of their corner and were avidly watching the game. Wolf remembered seeing the surprise on Snake's face when the medic had seen only three of them left at the table.

As Falcon left the table, and cards were collected to be re-dealt, Wolf scanned the room and took note of where Eagle and Badger were. The two needed to have a close eye kept on them or else they'd get in serious trouble.

His eyes alighted on them and he mentally sighed in relief as he noticed that they hadn't gotten themselves into trouble-yet. Surprisingly, though, they were a part of a group that was clustered around one of the larger round tables. Of course, all of the soldiers surrounding it were constantly glancing back at the table where Wolf and Heron sat, but they were also very interested in what was going on at that table.

Wolf dismissed it, and turned his attention back to Heron. Neither was going down without a fight for the top.

They were so immersed in the game that neither noticed when Snake glanced back at the other table (checking up on the two kids known as Badger and Eagle) and became furious. Wolf didn't notice when Snake stalked over the other table and shoved his way through. Nor did he notice the guilty expression on Eagle's face.

The yelling couldn't even break through Wolf's concentration. After all, when one is in a unit with Badger and Eagle, one just got used to it and ignored it. But it certainly broke through Heron's concentration.

"Wolf!" Heron shouted, trying to be heard over Snake, Eagle, Badger, and several other men's raised voices.

Wolf glanced up sharply, "What?"

"What's up with your unit?"

Wolf's gaze snapped around and took in the yelling. He sighed, "Give me a minute, will ya? This happens all the time."

Heron nodded. He, like several other unit leaders, pitied Wolf for having to be stuck with Badger and Eagle. It was obvious that only Wolf would get the argument under control, and Heron really did not wish to listen to it the entire rest of the evening/night.

Wolf got up and stalked his way over to his unit mates who were in the middle of everything-of course.

"What is going on over here?" Wolf practically shouted in order to get their attention.

The three turned guiltily to Wolf and quieted down. Someone had turned off the music off and everyone was watching K-Unit stare at the floor by their leader's feet.

"Well?" Wolf practically growled.

Eagle's head snapped up, "Blame the Sergeant! It's his fault!"

Several mouths dropped open. No one would EVER dare to blame the sergeant. It was just unheard of.

"No really! He said that the kid was already corrupt and that Cub would be ok with it! He needed us to watch him-"

Eagle's protests died when he saw the anger in Wolf's face, "What did you just say?" Wolf's voice was deceptively calm, and that's when Eagle found it fitting to shy away and shut up.

Snake took this as a good sign and spoke up, "I knew you'd be on my side. I came over here to yell at Eagle. I mean, who in their right mind would allow this? But as we all know, Eagle doesn't have any sense of responsibility, and-"

"What are you three on about?" Wolf asked once more, exasperated.

That's when the crowd shifted revealing a small blonde-haired boy staring up at him with a smile on his face and cards in his hand.

(Page Break)

The Sergeant watched the proceedings trying not to laugh and glad he was recording this for Cub to watch.

When Wolf stalked over to the arguing group, though, the Sergeant could no longer contain himself. He burst out into uncontrollable laughter. Laughter that could be heard outside where the trainees were passing on their jog down to a midnight swim.

The trainees shared looks and shivered-just not because of the night air.

**A/N: Hey! So I'm going to camp for 4 weeks and will be unable to update. Sorry! But when I get back, I promise I will update more often. I've come to really love this story. I hope you guys like it! **

**Thank you to all of my reviewers!**


	7. The Double Side

DISCLAIMER: In case you haven't noticed, I do not own Alex Rider, nor have I written the wonderful books

Chapter 6:

"_What are you three on about?" Wolf asked once more, exasperated. _

_That's when the crowd shifted revealing a small blonde-haired boy staring up at him with a smile on his face and cards in his hand._

Wolf's face darkened into a deep shade of red. Eagle, Badger and Snake all took an unconscious step back as if an extra foot in between them and Wolf could save them from his fury. The other soldiers were smarter and moved several feet away from K-Unit. Most of them had not seen Wolf this mad in really long time, and they knew there was going to be bloodshed.

Wolf felt his fists tighten at his sides and he felt himself losing control to the burning anger he felt. Here was his godson, the kid that Cub had trusted him with, being taught how to gamble under his watch. Alex was probably going to be horrified if he ever found out. He'd probably never trust Wolf to look after Aiden ever again. Wolf wouldn't blame Alex in the least. Alex knew exactly what it was like growing up too fast. He obviously did not want that for his own kid. Alex still harbored unsure feelings about the fact that his uncle had trained him at such a young age without explaining anything. Alex would never want his own son's memory of him to be the same. Except for the fact that MI6 was probably going to try to get their hands on Aiden as soon as they could. And what did Wolf know? Perhaps Alex was training his son. Riders certainly had enough enemies. Being able to protect oneself was very important.

Snake looked on with shock as his unit leader-the one know to lose his temper and be able to make things explode with his killer death glare- took a deep breath and relaxed his fists. He seemed to slump in defeat and…was that a look of guilt in his eyes? Without saying a single word the fearless leader sidestepped past his three unit mates, scooped up the kid, and grabbed all of the money that Aiden had made. No one protested. Aiden had certainly had earned it. And no one was going to mess with Wolf or Cub.

Still without saying a word, Wolf walked back to the table where Heron was waiting patiently. Aiden was gently set down on the chair next to Wolf, and the money disappeared into the man's jacket pocket.

Wolf picked up his cards, raised an eyebrow at Heron and asked, "Are we going to play, or what?"

Still in shock (like all of the other soldiers) it took Heron a few seconds to recognize that Wolf had even spoken before he hastily agreed and the game continued.

(PAGE BREAK)

In the Sergeant's office, the man was contemplatively thinking to himself and mulling over the change he saw in his greatest unit leader.

Many people had told him that meeting Cub had changed the entire unit. The Sergeant was quick to believe this as his own life had changed when he met the fearless teenager who gave so much to a world that only caused him pain. That teenager had been through things that a seasoned war veteran would never see and survive. He was the strongest person anyone knew. But by the third time the kid had showed up at Brecon Beacons, everyone found out that the seemingly fearless machine was not just a front. The Sergeant had worried about the kid's mental health up until the time where he heard about the nightmare's Cub had. While it was obvious that the kid seriously needed some down time and psychiatric help, Cub was not as far gone as first believed. He was no mindless machine used by the government. He was a scared teenager who had seen too much because he was being blackmailed by the government. Everyone who met Cub learned to no longer think in terms of black and white- the world was made up of shades of gray.

The Sergeant continued mulling over the enigma of Cub and his effect on people. He was so lost in thought that he failed to see that Wolf had beat Heron and being named the top poker player for the first time. Unsurprisingly, the man stood up, collected his share of the winnings (the rest would be distributed back to Heron, Falcon, Panther, Cougar and Frog), and gathered up the kid blinking owlishly at the world before exiting the room. Everyone watched the pair leave, most trying to connect the often angry unit leader to the gentle fatherly figure that had been presented to them. The two images did not fit together, but it almost seemed to make sense in the soldier's minds that Wolf would have a fatherly side to him.

(PAGE BREAK PAGE BREAK)

*Jump 1 Week*

Alex Rider leaned back against the plush seat he was sitting on in the private plane. He closed his eyes and marveled in the feeling of just how nice it was not to be shot at. Or tied up. Or even having to pretend to be a sadistic man who was excited about the fact that someone else was trying to wipe out the human population.

Alex didn't realize that his eyes had closed in exhaustion until he heard footsteps entering and they snapped open.

"It's only me," Ben said with a tired smile.

"Mhm," Alex replied, already feeling his eyes shutting on their own accord. He could stay awake for an inhuman amount of time while on a mission, but as soon as the mission was over his body needed to just shut down and get some serious make-up rest.

Blearily, he noticed that Ben was pushing his legs up onto the long plush bench and guiding his upper body down to rest on it as well. After he was lying flat, Ben's hand started running its way through his hair in a motion that never failed to make Alex relax and give into the sleep he desperately needed.

Alex smiled, "You should get some sleep too. I'll be fine. You need it more than I do."

His message was somewhat tampered by the fact that his speech was heavily slurred, but he felt no resistance from Ben.

"I will. Even though you definitely need it more than I do. You're the one who stayed up for three days straight with no sleep and then spent another two days on very limited sleep beforehand."

"Yea, Ben, but I'm me. I don't need…as…..much…..slee-" Alex never noticed that he never finished his sentence as he was already dead to the world.

Ben just shook his head at the ki-no MAN's denial (Ben would always think of Alex as the broken kid who had been placed in his care no matter how old Alex was), and stumbled across the cabin to the bench opposite the one Alex was on. He was asleep before his head hit the seat.

Thirteen hours later he would wake up in a room at the bank lying on a bed with no recollection of how he ended up there. He would pick up the still sleeping Alex and bring him back to Ben's flat where he would once again fall asleep, this time in his own bed. Alex would not stir once during that entire time.

(PAGE BREAK)

*Three Days Later*

Wolf glanced worriedly at the kid who was sitting on a rock about ten feet away. They were just about to start an exercise in which an opposing force would be trying to rescue/kidnap (depending on what way you were looking at it) Aiden who was being posed as a civilian. They had done this exercise several times in the past, but one of the SAS men would always pose as the civilian. But OF COURSE the Sergeant had to come up with the BRILLIANT plan of using the actual civilian as the civilian. And OF COURSE, the SAS wouldn't just split into two teams. OF COURSE some unknown (probably the Green Jackets) would be trying to rescue the kid. Wolf liked to think of it as kidnapping.

He, of course, argued for long hours about why they shouldn't do the exercise with Aiden. But Cub and his brilliant self just had to have given permission in advance for Aiden to be used in this way. Wolf was seriously going to beat some sense into that ki-man the next time they saw each other.

Wolf's grip tightened on the paintball gun as the time to start the exercise drew even nearer. It would be silly to use real guns in this type of exercise as it would only be killing their own allies. The honor code was used for whether you were 'dead' or not. If you got shot someone vital, you stayed on the ground and no longer participated in the exercise. If you got hit in a limb, then you could continue (without using it) until another limb got hit or you were hit somewhere vital. It was really a very simple game.

If Aiden got taken, the SAS had one hour to retrieve him before they officially failed the exercise. That was not something Wolf was prepared to let happen.

Basic orders had been given to the soldiers ahead of time-as would occur in a real situation, but once the game began, they would be operating as if they had no communication with base. Unsurprisingly, the Sergeant had placed B-Unit in charge of protecting the kid and was sending K-Unit off into the woods. It was obvious that, given the chance, Wolf would've just taken the kid himself and disappeared until the Sergeant ended the exercise.

A voice through their communication devices signaled the start of the exercise, and the units disappeared into the underbrush to find their unknown 'enemy'.

One last glare from Wolf told B-Unit that they had better take extra good care of the kid or they were dead. They all swallowed nervously.

(PAGE BREAK)

Two hours had passed, and there was still no sign of an enemy in the area that K-Unit was assigned. Reports had trickled in over the communication unit over various soldiers reporting that they had engaged with the enemy, and then later messages with the fact that they were hit twice and were 'down'. If you got hit with a 'kill' shot, you were not allowed to inform the other soldiers that you were dead, but if you got hit twice in places that there was a chance of survival (had real bullets been used), then you were allowed to radio your status.

"Lemur to Jackal," a voice came over the radio. Periodically, random units would check in with B-Unit to make sure that all was well so far.

Wolf waited, paying more attention to the static in his ear than his surroundings, as he waited for the latest update.

"Lemur to Jackal," the voice repeated itself.

Another long pause followed.

"I repeat, Lemur to Jackal. B-Unit, do you copy?"

Still no reply came, and Wolf swore to himself. Best case scenario was that B-Unit was hidden and the enemy was very very close to them. Worst case scenario was that B-Unit had been taken out and Aiden was who knows where in the hands of the enemy. The last radio check had been done twenty minutes prior. The SAS could easily only have forty minutes to recover the kid.

As one, K-Unit and cautiously made their way back to the clearing where they had left B-Unit and Aiden, all the while conscious of the fact that they could run into the enemy at any moment.

The clearing was still, not a conscious soul in sight. K-Unit easily found all four members of B-Unit unconscious and with several paint-ball splotches on their armor.

C-Unit showed up not a moment later, and the two medics worked on trying to wake someone up. Not that it would technically do them any good as B-Unit had been hit enough times to be counted as dead four times over or more. No information would be allowed to pass through their lips.

When only Jackal woke up, the other units left it as a lost cause and realized that they were only wasting time. They needed to get the kid back.

"This is Wolf. B-Unit is down and the kid has been taken. Does anyone copy?"

"Cobra of S-Unit copies."

"C-Unit copies."

Wolf waited for more of the units to copy, but there were none. The unseen enemy had taken out all of B-Unit, T-Unit, F-Unit, and ¾ of S-Unit. Wolf sighed.

"Right. Let's find them and get Aiden back."

And thus, the nine men drifted off into the woods, fading into the shadows until only a trace of them ever having been there was left.

High above them in a tree a lone figure smiled. He lifted his own radio to his lips.

"They're heading straight for you."

"Roger that," came the reply. "15 down, 9 to go."

"Make sure you leave the one leader."

"The one with attachments to the kid? Roger that. Out."

The figure swung out of the tree, walked past the glaring Jackal and faded into the shadows, leaving Jackal to blink and wonder if he had imagined the man being there at all. No trace was left of his presence.


	8. Homecoming

Sorry if this chapter isn't as good as the other ones, but I'm not in the best of moods, soo…it may be reflected in the chapter. If you're wondering why, I dropped my kindle today and it broke. And now life has no meaning. Well, actually it has a lot of meaning, but….life sucks.

Disclaimer: I'm afraid that in the last week, I have not suddenly started owning Alex Rider or any of the characters in the wonderful books written by Anthony Horowitz.

Chapter 7:

_And thus, the nine men drifted off into the woods, fading into the shadows until only a trace of them ever having been there was left._

_High above them in a tree a lone figure smiled. He lifted his own radio to his lips._

"_They're heading straight for you."_

"_Roger that," came the reply. "15 down, 9 to go."_

"_Make sure you leave the one leader."_

"_The one with attachments to the kid? Roger that. Out."_

_The figure swung out of the tree, walked past the glaring Jackal and faded into the shadows, leaving Jackal to blink and wonder if he had imagined the man being there at all. No trace was left of his presence._

(Page Break)

A dull thud caused Snake, Eagle, and Wolf to spin around and immediately check their surroundings with a renewed vigor. Ten minutes prior Cobra and two of C-Unit had disappeared from behind the others. A quick search of the area showed them to be unconscious, forty feet away, and tied to various trees. All in the space of two minutes. Although they could've really just been picked off one by one silently. Their presence had not been missed until a single twig had snapped in the woods causing Wolf to do a head count.

Wolf inwardly swore as he saw that the rest of C-Unit and Badger had disappeared into the shadows of the woods. Snake's shoulders drooped, and the three remaining SAS soldiers knew that whoever the enemy in the forest was, they were highly superior to K-Unit and were simply toying with the soldiers.

"We have possibly fifteen minutes left," Wolf spoke quietly to Snake and Eagle. "There's no way that we can find Aiden unless the enemy makes a mistake somewhere and I don't see that happening any time soon. I'm not saying that we should just give up, but it's obvious that the enemy is just toying with us. What do you guys want to do?"

Eagle shrugged. Everything Wolf had said was very true. He was willing to defer to the other members of his unit in times of these, knowing that they'd make the best decision.

Snake paused as Wolf's gaze shifted to him. One of the great qualities of Wolf was that he never held his position of power over the members of his unit and was willing to defer to the ideas of the rest of them. Of course, these traits hadn't been quite developed until Cub had come around, but that was beside the point. Cub had changed them all.

"I think…I think that we should try for these last fifteen minutes to find Aiden. If Cub taught us anything it was to never underestimate an opponent, but also never overestimate the opponent. Everyone makes mistakes at some point in time. And if we don't manage to get Aiden back, then nothings really lost. I mean, we're K-Unit. We're known for not giving up. Even to the extent of a fault."

Snake finished this with the same wry smile that was on the other two's faces.

"I agree. Eagle, what do you think?"

Eagle nodded his head, "Snake's right. K-Unit never gives up even when the task seems hopeless. I mean, what would have happened if we had given up on Cub all of those years ago?"

Shadows fell across each of the men's faces as they traveled deep into the past in remembrance of their fifth teammate and the condition he had been in at age 15. That had been a pretty rough time for everyone. But Cub had pulled out alright in the end and that was all that mattered.

Wolf nodded his head decisively, "We didn't give up on Cub then, and there's no way we're giving up on his son. Let's go."

Needless to say, none of the three soldiers caught as much of a hint of the unknown enemy in the woods for the entire ten minutes that had remained. A loud bugle from the main part of camp signaled the end of the activity.

Knowing they'd failed, the remainder of K-Unit silently trudged back to the field outside of the mess hall to meet the sergeant.

The stern glare was present on the man's face as K-Unit filed out of the woods. The groups of soldiers who had never failed anything before had finally faced their superior. It was obvious from their faces that they knew it, and the sergeant felt that no berating was needed. The soldiers really had done the best that they could. They had not given up, and the sergeant was impressed by this. Even before the exercise started, the sergeant had known which side would come out victorious. But it wasn't really about who would end up with the kid. It was more just a learning opportunity for the soldiers to realize where their mistakes were made. It was unlikely that any of the soldiers would let the same mistake happen to themselves again. They would be stronger for it.

A few other soldiers trickled into the open area as the sergeant stood there watching. These were the soldiers who had found themselves surprised by the enemy and managed to not be unconscious or tied up.

After waiting five minutes, the sergeant stepped forward to address the soldiers.

"So, you obviously know how tonight went. I expect that none of you will be making the same mistakes ever again. And once we're done here, you'll be expected to go back into the woods and help find the other soldiers that weren't as lucky to be able to be conscious and untied like you all. Of course, your 'enemy' will help you locate some of them, though they won't be able to do it all as they can't be everywhere at once."

Several snorts were heard from around the gathered group as several remembered their own encounters with the 'enemy'. It had certainly seemed like they could be everywhere at once.

"So where are they and where is Aiden?" Wolf questioned.

The sergeant smirked, "Aiden's right here."

It turns out that in the relatively dim lighting, each soldier had missed the small child standing mostly obscured by the sergeant.

"Uncle Wolfie!" Aiden cried happily and ran to the man who promptly scooped him up.

"Now," the sergeant continued. "Don't get offended or mad or let this think that you're failures. Chances are that you'll not encounter men of this skill again, and if you do, it's likely that there will be a lot more of you in one area to help the odds out a bit. And they have a lot more experience than you do."

Wolf opened his mouth, "Is it-"

The sergeant cut him off with a quick nod and understanding dawned in the man's eyes.

Two men dressed in all black seemed to step out of the trunks of trees surrounding the field.

Shoulders slumped as the men realized just how many people had been needed to take them out.

"Seriously? There were only two of them?" one soldier called out with disbelief in his voice.

The sergeant nodded affirmatively.

Wolf put Aiden down and the child looked up, confused. Wolf gave the child a slight push towards the two figures. With a shake of his head, Aiden indicated that he didn't want to go and instead wanted to remain by Wolf's side.

One of the figures chuckled, and the masks were pulled off of the two 'enemies'.

"I know I was gone for a while, but don't tell me you already forgot about your daddy," the ever so slightly shorter figure called out and stepped closer to the light.

Aiden's face lit up and he raced towards the two figures as fast as his feet could manage.

"DADDY! UNCLE BEN!"

Laughter was heard as the taller figure scooped up the child and hugged him before handing him off to the other man who held on to the child tightly.

Wolf smiled at the sight and took a step forward, "Nice to see you guys again. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"That is an understatement," the taller figure said stepping forward. "Hello, Eagle, Snake. It's been even longer since I saw you guys."

Eagle's mouth dropped open and Snake's eyes widened. "FOX?" the two of them asked simultaneously.

"Of course!" the figure was finally recognizable in the light that bathed him. "Who else could take out a whole bunch of brainless soldiers and kidnap a kid all at the same time?"

"Watch it," Wolf growled. "You were once one of the 'brainless soldiers'. Don't go all high and mighty on us now just because you work for MI6."

"Aww, Wolfie," the other man said, also stepping into the light and still holding the child. "Still resenting that you didn't turn to the dark side with your teammate and missed the chance to ditch Eagle?"

"Definitely not," the soldier replied, stepping forward to give each man a manly hug. "And don't call me Wolfie."

"So now you're giving my son special privileges that you won't hand to me as well?"

"Of course, kid."

"I'm not a kid. I really wish you'd stop calling me that."

"And I'm not Wolfie. It's as plain and simple as that, Cub."

"….fine. But this doesn't mean that I'm still not stealing your bed for the night. We're bunking with K-Unit and there is no way I'm sleeping on the floor. You guys can have that honor," Alex stated.

"Well, we had a fifth bunk shoved in for Aiden, so you can share that with your son, and Fox can have Eagle's bed. He can bunk on the floor," Wolf decided.

"WHAT?!" Eagle cried in outrage. "Why me? Cub said he was stealing YOUR bed, not MINE."

"But I said that he was stealing your bunk. And what I say goes. Sergeant, can we be dismissed?"

The sergeant nodded, "Since you three were the only ones who managed to not get 'killed' you can go to bed now. The rest of you, you can head to the woods. See you all at a delayed breakfast. The spies apparently need their sleep."

The soldiers all headed off in different directions, the spies following K-Unit back to their hut.

As Aiden was asleep already, Alex figured that he might as well go to bed as well and bid the others goodnight. What he did not realize is that the other soldiers stayed up for a while longer, mainly waiting for Badger to return, watching the father and son and reminiscing about the days when Cub was younger. The broken kid had obviously been mostly healed, at least to the extent that he could give off the persona of being relatively happy with his life.

"I hope the kid has an easy life ahead of him," Wolf commented shortly before they all went to bed.

Ben nodded sadly, "Me too, but I have a feeling that it won't. MI6 is going to want that kid, and they'll eventually get to the point where they'll stop at nothing to get him. And there's no way MI6 will stop sending Alex on missions any time soon. Life just isn't looking up for Alex."


	9. 2 Years Gone

A/N: The end is soon! (sob). But…..there is a great possibility for a sequel as I had written another fanfic that kind of lines up with where the end of this will be, so….while I'll probably have to tweak that story to fit this plotline, but…sequel!

Disclaimer: I do not own Alex Rider

Chapter 8:

(TIME JUMP 2 YEARS FROM LAST CHAPTER)

Ben sighed as he once again got voicemail. Alex hadn't picked up the phone for the entire day. 28 year-old Alex had just returned from a dangerous mission two days prior and had gone to the bank early that day for a debriefing. Debriefing had never taken more than four hours, and Alex had been gone for at least double that, leaving Aiden in Ben's care.

It wasn't that Ben minded watching the talented seven year-old. It was just that Alex had promised to be back within three hours and had yet to show up. And Alex never broke his promises.

Seeing how there was a strong chance that one of Alex's recently acquired enemies was lurking about, Ben kept on dialing the man's number. Letting out a frustrated sigh when the result was the same as always, Ben looked over to where Aiden was quietly reading a kid's book.

He smiled slightly as he saw his nephew totally enthralled in the book about a bear and a bunny. The kid was really one of a kind. Ben was glad that even with being extra smart and partially trained that Aiden could still act his age and get lost in the world of teddy bears and bunny rabbits. Alex had probably never been given a chance to act that way as a child, to just get lost in the simplicity of being innocent.

He was startled out of his musings as his phone rang. Instinctively, he hit reply and raised it to his ear without even checking who it was. Granted, his phone was secure and not many had the number.

"Daniels," he said quickly.

"Ben!"

Ben sighed in relief as he heard the man's voice.

"Alex! Where are you? I've been trying to call you all day."

Alex snorted into the phone, "Really? I never would've guessed. The 187 missed calls from you wouldn't have made that obvious at all."

"Well, I wouldn't have called so much except that you said you'd be back hours ago," Ben retorted.

"Speaking of which, I ran into a few FRIENDS of mine. I've been trying to shake them all day but they just won't leave. I'm currently hiding behind a dumpster. Which they can't seem to find. Oh! And they have snipers."

"Why didn't you call sooner, you idiot?" Ben asked, exasperated.

"Because I thought I'd left my phone at home….but it was really just off and in a different pocket," Alex replied sheepishly.

Ben shook his head, "Only you, Alex. Anyways, where are you? I'll come help you and pick you up."

"I'm on my way towards the harbor. You know, less buildings for snipers to hide on. But I have a theory that might be true about this enemy. I don't think they're the people I went up against most recently."

"I'm on my way. And why don't you think so?" Ben questioned, grabbing his keys.

"Wait, you can't come. Aiden can't be left alone, and you're not bringing him with you," Alex informed Ben.

"Fine. I'll call Wolf. He got home yesterday. I'm sure he'll come over. And Aiden will be fine in the two minutes between when I leave and when Wolf arrives," Ben replied, not backing down.

Alex sighed, "Fine. But Ben? I'm pretty sure it's happening."

"What's happening?" Ben questioned.

"Call Wolf and then call me back. We'll talk then. I'll keep my phone out and I'll wait for your call."

Ben added his consent before ending the call. Calling Wolf, he headed out to his car.

"What do you want?" came the annoyed reply from the other end of the phone.

"Wolf? It's Ben. Cub's run into a spot of trouble over by the harbor and I'm going over to help him out."

"Why are you calling me then? Do you want me to come with you?"

"No. I was wondering if you could possibly come over to my place and watch Aiden while I'm gone. I was babysitting, and Alex refuses to leave the kid home alone for the short time that I'll be out. Probably has something to do with the fact that when he was Aiden's age he was constantly left home alone and forced to fend for himself for days on end," Ben replied while sliding into the car.

"Probably. No worries, I'm leaving now and should be there in a few minutes. If you find that you need some back up, don't hesitate to call. Eagle's likely to be dead asleep still, but the others are probably bored out of their minds."

Ben smirked, "Unless Eagle has decided to raid one of their apartments. Oh wait, doesn't Snake live in a real house now?"

"Yup. He and his wife bought a house. And Badger's living with his fiancé. But all of them are bound to be bored and wanting some excitement," Wolf replied.

Ben smiled, "I'm sure Alex has got it all under control by now, but I'll keep that in mind just in case. Shoot! I told Alex that I'd call him right back after calling you. I'd better go."

Before even waiting for a reply, he quickly dialed Alex's number again. Eight rings and no pick up. He tried again. And again.

He swore while slamming his hand on the steering wheel. He broke at least six traffic laws on his frantic drive to the harbor. Surprisingly, he was not arrested or even pulled over.

He parked haphazardly and jumped out of the vehicle. He heard no tell-tale gunshots, and that just served to make him even more worried. He ran to the water's edge and quickly searched frantically around. After not seeing anything in the surrounding area, Ben suddenly remembered that he had a tracker on his phone for Alex's phone. And the rest of the unit's phones, but that didn't matter.

Quickly pulling it out, Ben found the tracker blinking not even an eighth of a mile away. He raced there as fast as possible. At first, he thought that Alex's phone was in the water, but it soon became obvious that it was simply at the end of a long dock. Reaching the end of it, the first thing that Ben noticed was the phone lying haphazardly near the end. The second thing he noticed was the small drops of blood on the edge of the boards.

Futilely, he called Alex's name into the waves. No reply came. Five minutes later, he dropped to the ground, pulled out his phone, and called MI6.

(PAGE BREAK)

(Alex's point of view)

After hanging up with Ben, Alex continued towards the water of the harbor. Reaching the water's edge, he quickly found out that he was trapped on all three sides, with men closing in fast. His only escape was a long dock reaching out over the water. He was out of the reach of any sniper for the moment, and all he had to do was hold off the fifteen men until Ben showed up.

Pausing halfway, he turned around to catch a glimpse of the men chasing him while simultaneously taking stalk of his injuries. There were several scrapes on his arms and legs from where the enemy had been unsuccessful in trying to hit him, but nothing all that major. Though, all of the cuts could easily become infected with a quick dip in the water behind him.

He continued to run towards the edge, holding his phone in hand, ready for Ben to call back. Was there some problem on Ben's end? Was Aiden ok? Was Wolf being stubborn? Was Ben bringing Aiden into the danger zone? Had Ben crashed his car and was now awaiting medical attention, or worse?

When he was about two feet from the edge, he paused slightly, only to feel a great force hit him in the back followed by a great pain. The phone slipped from his grip, and he stumbled forward before falling limply under the waves of the harbor's water.

On the dock, his cell phone began to ring.


	10. The Truth

Chapter 9:

_(LAST CHAPTER): He continued to run towards the edge, holding his phone in hand, ready for Ben to call back. Was there some problem on Ben's end? Was Aiden ok? Was Wolf being stubborn? Was Ben bringing Aiden into the danger zone? Had Ben crashed his car and was now awaiting medical attention, or worse?_

_When he was about two feet from the edge, he paused slightly, only to feel a great force hit him in the back followed by a great pain. The phone slipped from his grip, and he stumbled forward before falling limply under the waves of the harbor's water._

_On the dock, his cell phone began to ring._

_(Page Break)_

_(STILL LAST CHAPTER): Quickly pulling it out, Ben found the tracker blinking not even an eighth of a mile away. He raced there as fast as possible. At first, he thought that Alex's phone was in the water, but it soon became obvious that it was simply at the end of a long dock. Reaching the end of it, the first thing that Ben noticed was the phone lying haphazardly near the end. The second thing he noticed was the small drops of blood on the edge of the boards._

_Futilely, he called Alex's name into the waves. No reply came. Five minutes later, he dropped to the ground, pulled out his phone, and called MI6._

(PAGE BREAK)

Wolf was worried when Ben hadn't called back within two hours. He understood that Ben had not had time to explain what 'trouble' Cub had gotten into and that depending on what kind of trouble it was it might take a while to sort out. On the other hand, Ben knew that Wolf was sitting in his house waiting for a phone call. The phone call that had not yet come.

Wolf sighed and stood up, drawing the attention of the 7-year-old kid from the ever riveting TV.

"What's wrong, Uncle Wolf?" Aiden asked the man.

"Nothing's wrong, Aiden," Wolf replied with a fake carefree smile. "I'm just going to try to call Uncle Ben and see if I can figure out where he is."

"Ok!" Aiden replied with a wide grin. "Do you think he's going to bring me chocolate when he comes back? Or something else? He always brings me something when he comes back. I think it's to make up for the time that he's away or something like that…"

"I'm sure he'll find something to bring you," Wolf replied.

Happy, the kid turned back to the cartoons and Wolf left the room and entered the kitchen. He pulled out his cell phone and speed-dialed Ben. Eight rings and no pickup. He tried Cub's phone. Eight rings and no pickup. Worried, Wolf tried Ben's phone once more before dialing a new number.

"Wolf? What's up? We just got back; surely their not calling us in again ALREADY," Snake questioned after reading the caller ID and picking-up.

"Nothing like that. At least not yet. We both know all too well how MI6 is. At least we know that the SAS will actually give us our time off," Wolf replied with a smirk.

"So what's up then? Already missing our lovely company?"

"Not exactly. Currently, I'm babysitting Aiden for Fox who was babysitting for Cub. Cub was being debriefed at HQ today. I'm not exactly sure what happened, but somewhere along the lines Cub ran into trouble and I guess called Ben to try and help him get out of it. But that was close to three hours ago and neither is picking up their phones."

"So you think that this 'trouble' was a little bit more than Cub and Fox could deal with and want to go investigate but want back-up and need someone to watch Aiden," Snake surmised.

Wolf sighed. This was why he called Snake first. Snake always understood. "Yup. Can you call the rest of the team and have them meet us at Ben's place?"

"Sure. And I'll call D-Unit to come and watch Aiden for us while we take a look around. And before you protest, we both know there's no way any of the team will willingly sit around waiting, even if they were watching Aiden. D-Unit are on leave and get along well with Aiden. They won't mind watching him."

Wolf nodded, "Thanks."

"Yup. You can tell us what you know when we all get there, alright?"

"Yea, bye." Wolf hung up, not waiting for Snake to reply as he felt there was no need.

Ten minutes later had K-Unit, D-Unit, and Aiden in Ben's living room. Wolf was finishing telling both units everything he knew which wasn't much.

As K-Unit filed out the door, Wasp called out, "Good luck! If you need any more back-up, don't hesitate to call us."

Wolf nodded an affirmative and the door closed. K-Unit got into the van sitting outside.

"To the harbor?" Eagle questioned as Wolf pulled out onto the street.

"To the harbor," Wolf agreed. They drove in silence, each not wanting to think about the probable outcomes of their adventure.

(PAGE BREAK)

Two hours later had Wolf and the rest of K-Unit feeling very discouraged. They had searched seemingly everywhere around the harbor for the two spies and all they had come up with was Fox's abandoned car, left parking haphazardly near the water's edge. This did nothing to improve the soldiers' moods as it seemed to be a clear sign that something major had happened that had taken their teammates from them.

"Can we track either of their phones?" Eagle questioned as the group met up once more at their van after giving up their search as futile.

Wolf shook his head before remembering a number Fox had given him years ago.

"Wait! I know someone who can."

He pulled out his phone, looked through the contacts, and found the one titled 'Smithers'.

"Hello? Wolf is it?" The voice on the other end picked up.

"Yea, its Wolf. I would ask how you knew that, but I have a feeling the answer should be obvious. I was wondering if you could try to track Ben Daniels' phone for me. I'm trying to find him, but he seems to have disappeared."

"Sure, old chap. I'd be glad to. Takes no effort at all. Mr. Daniels placed a tracker on your phone a while ago so he could always find you so I don't need to even try to track his phone, even if it would only take a second. It's easier to just reverse the signal. I'm sending its tracker to you now. Ring me if you ever need anything at all. I owe Alex that much. Ahh, it seems as though Mr. Daniels is exactly where I expected him to be. Good luck." With that parting note, the man hung up.

"Well?" Snake questioned as Wolf brought the phone from his ear and frowned.

"Cub and Fox always described that man as really cheerful. I wonder if his cheerfulness is something that only spies can perceive because he definitely did not sound happy. He sounded resigned for whatever reason…"

"Wolf?" Badger questioned as the man trailed off and stared at the road. "Did he have a tracker on Fox's phone?"

"Wha- oh yea. Apparently Fox bugged my phone a while ago so all he had to do was reverse the signal. I have the tracker on my phone. It says he's…but why would he be there?" Wolf questioned, a frown once more covering his features.

Eagle sighed, "Wolf! Come back to earth until we find Ben. Then you can go all contemplative on us."

Wolf once more snapped back to the present, glad to have a reason to stop thinking about the dark thoughts that had entered his mind. He had a feeling he knew exactly what had happened- or at least the gist of what happened- and was in no hurry to want to dwell on those thoughts until he knew them to be true.

Without another word he climbed back into the van and drove off almost before his entire unit was in and buckled. He did not speak once on the way, instead focusing on the driving. Everyone gave him some space, not knowing what Wolf knew but letting him try to piece the puzzle together by himself. If he wanted help, he would ask. And if and when he wanted to tell them he would. He looked first to the interests of the unit before he looked towards the interest of himself.

A worried and slightly relieved look came into the eyes of K-Unit when the van stopped and they found themselves outside of Fox's local pub. It was about two blocks away from the man's house and the unit had gathered there on several occasions. If Ben was there, things couldn't be too bad. He wasn't still out looking for Cub, which was probably a good sign. And he wasn't in the hospital either with his own injuries or with an injured Cub. But why would he be at a pub and not home if everything was ok?

The four silently filed out of the van and into the pub. They expected to see Cub and Fox having a drink together in one of the booths, as they had often. They half expected to see money passing between the two due to a bet on how long it would take the unit to find them. But that was not the sight that met them.

Instead, the unit found a man leaning hunched over the counter and over his beer with a weary expression on his face. The bartender looked relieved at K-Unit's entrance. They had been in there enough times that the bartender not only recognized them but also knew them to be close to Ben. He waved the unit over a little ways down from where Ben sat hunched.

"Glad you guys came. I was about to try to steal Ben's phone and find a way to contact you guys or that other man that generally comes in with you. He's been in here for a few hours and hasn't said a thing except asking for beer. He's really really drunk and I didn't want to just let him leave on his own. I don't know what's gotten into him. He's normally so responsible and never gets all that drunk. Please take him home and do what you can for him," the bartender said.

Wolf slowly opened his eyes from where he had shut them in pain. It wasn't physical pain he was experiencing. No, it was the kind of pain that came from the knowledge that something that you'd been dreading for a number of years had finally caught up to you and was occurring.

He took charge and pushed down his own feelings. Whether or not what he thought had occurred, which now looked highly likely, had occurred, there were higher priorities at the moment. Such as his team, who looked like they were starting to guess what Wolf had been thinking about for a number of hours. But the highest priority at the moment was Fox, especially if Wolf's assumptions were correct.

"Right. Let's get Fox and get him home. There we can find out what's wrong and why he's getting himself so drunk."

Snake nodded and the other two snapped out of their musings. Wolf headed over to where Fox sat and pulled the drink out of the man's hand. Fox didn't even seem to acknowledge Wolf's presence, nor the presence of the unit behind him.

"Hey Fox. I think you've had enough to drink. It's time we got you home and back to Aiden, ok?" Wolf asked in his gentlest voice, not wanting to anger the spy whose inhibitions were low and had probably heard the worst news of his life earlier.

He didn't get any type of reply. Fox didn't even look at him. Carefully, Wolf grabbed Fox's arm and tugged him out off of the barstool. There wasn't any resistance. No anger, no confusion. No acknowledgement.

Briefly, Wolf flashed back to a time over a decade prior when he had met Cub for the third time over a year after Point Blanc. This was how the kid had acted. This was Cub's behavior when he was at his lowest. This was the type of behavior that MI6 had caused Cub to adopt. The one that kept him in the slums of uncaring until K-Unit and Fox had managed to break through into Cub's mind and slowly start to fix the damage that MI6 had done on Cub's mind.

He led Fox out of the pub and the unit followed. Once outside, Fox leaned over into the bushes and vomited. Wolf kept an insistent but gentle grip on Fox's arm and turned to the rest of the unit.

"I think that Fox and I are going to walk home from here seeing as he lives so close. I have a feeling that he'll probably throw up again given the amount he drank and the walk will keep him conscious and maybe battle some of the effects of the alcohol. You guys can either walk with us or drive. It's your choice."

Seeing the acceptance in their faces, Wolf turned and started walking with Fox down the street towards the man's house where Aiden and D-Unit waited. Wolf didn't fail to notice that while all of his unit members had opted to drive, the van drove down the deserted street alongside of him in case Fox should pass out.

When Fox and K-Unit finally entered (or in Fox's case stumbled) the house, a worried D-Unit was waiting for them in the living room with Aiden. Gecko took one look at the appearance of Ben and picked up Aiden off of the couch and set the boy in his lap. The slightly sleepy boy was annoyed to be kept from going to his uncle, but settled down once he realized that no one's attentions were on him anyways.

"What happened?" Wasp was the first to speak.

Wolf shrugged as he sat Ben down on the couch, "We searched for hours and found nothing but Fox's abandoned car. We finally tracked his phone and found him in a pub drinking his life away. Hasn't said a single word but got the bartender all worried with how many beers he had drank before we showed up."

D-Unit exchanged glances. Like K-Unit, they had taken in the signs and had guessed what had occurred. Now they were just waiting for a conformation from Ben.

Silence reigned for a few moments until Ben opened his mouth, "I want another beer."

Wolf sighed before gently telling Ben that no, he could not have another beer and that he had to tell them what happened.

Ben froze and everyone saw his eyes become a little less cloudy. "They killed him. I was too late. They killed Alex. It's all my fault." And then he passed out.


	11. He Won't Be Coming Home

A/N: Sorry if you don't like this chapter as much. I really don't like it that much myself. It's more just a filler chapter. I must say that the second half is definitely better than the first half, so if you don't like the first half, I hope you keep reading just the same.

Disclaimer: I don't own Alex Rider. Shocking, right?

Chapter 10:

_D-Unit exchanged glances. Like K-Unit, they had taken in the signs and had guessed what had occurred. Now they were just waiting for a conformation from Ben._

_Silence reigned for a few moments until Ben opened his mouth, "I want another beer."_

_Wolf sighed before gently telling Ben that no, he could not have another beer and that he had to tell them what happened._

_Ben froze and everyone saw his eyes become a little less cloudy. "They killed him. I was too late. They killed Alex. It's all my fault." And then he passed out._

Wolf sighed, knowing that Ben wouldn't be waking up any time soon, short of a cold bucket of water dumped on him. Looking around, he saw the pain reflected in the eyes of all of the soldiers in the room. They had all known Alex for a long time and his death had hit them hard – especially since it had been right in London where he was supposed to be safe. Had Alex been killed on a mission, it would have been one thing- though not any less painful- but the fact that he was killed after being attacked while leaving a debriefing somehow made the situation seem even worse. It was almost like they had failed him.

Reaching forward, Wolf lifted Ben up and carried him in the direction of the stairs. The other soldiers shifted from where they had been frozen ever since Ben confirmed that Alex was in fact dead.

Aiden squirmed in the soldier's lap as he watched his godfather exit the room with his uncle. He thought he might understand what had happened, but couldn't quite grasp what it meant. The soldier just held him closer against his chest and gently stroked circles on the boy's back in a motion that sent Aiden's eyes drooping. Two minutes later found him dead asleep against the man's chest.

Wolf came downstairs again and reported that he had gotten Ben settled in his own bed. Snake noticed that Wolf seemed to be suppressing his own emotions for the sake of keeping it together. A look sent in his direction informed Snake that he could fall apart at any time he wanted and that Wolf would hold things together. Someone needed to be there for Ben and Aiden, and Snake had thought that the responsibility would fall on himself. However, it looked like Wolf had changed more than he thought in the past few years. Had this been back when Alex was 15 or 16, Wolf would have practically blown the house up in anger and try to go out and kill the person responsible.

Wolf cracked a small smile when he saw his godson curled up in Gecko's lap, sound asleep. Said man had his arms wrapped gently and almost lovingly around the boy. Granted, the man had a few young children of his own, and he was probably used to holding sleeping kids that he cared about.

"I'll get Aiden settled down for bed," Wolf announced, breaking the heavy silence that permeated in the room.

Gecko nodded and skillfully stood up with said child and handed him off to Wolf. Nodding once at Gecko as he received the child, Wolf turned to the soldiers as a whole.

"Ben doesn't have a lot of extra rooms here, but there are plenty of blankets and sleeping bags if you guys want to stay. Everyone's welcome to either stay or go home."

D-Unit shared a glance before their unit leader spoke up, "We'll head home for the night, but thanks for the offer. We'll come back over in the morning, though, if that's ok with you."

"Of course. Ben probably won't be awake until eight at the earliest given how much he drank tonight. Snake, Eagle, Badger? I'm guessing you're going to be staying here?"

All three nodded, though they looked slightly hesitant about something.

"Don't worry," Wolf told them. "I'll be fine here. Just make sure you don't wake Aiden up when you come in. And it might not be a good idea to drink quite as many as Ben did."

Nods of understanding were passed and the soldiers filed out leaving Aiden and Ben in the care of Wolf. Five minutes after Aiden was settled down in bed, the TV turned on and the beer was out of the refrigerator.

(PAGE BREAK)

Ben awoke with a groan. His head was pounding and the bright lights made the headache even worse. He stumbled out of bed, briefly noticing that he was dressed in a pair of sweatpants. He didn't remember how he had gotten there or how he had gotten into the pants, and for a moment he panicked. Not remembering generally meant being kidnapped in his line of work. However, he immediately recognized his own room and heard K-Unit's voices floating up from the kitchen.

Finding them in his kitchen was not a new thing, but finding D-Unit there as well came as surprise.

"What's going on, what happened?" he questioned.

The pitying looks he received were enough to make him try to remember what happened in greater earnest.

"Here," Wolf said softly but gruffly while handing Ben a large cup of coffee. "This should help. You drank quite a lot last night."

Looking at the faces of the eight soldiers while accepting the cup, Ben remarked, "Looks like you all drank a lot last night."

Eight grunts were the only response he got. After he finished his cup of coffee, and the headache was less severe, Wolf asked, "What do you remember from yesterday?"

Ben frowned. There was something no one was telling him, something major and important. "I don't-OH. Oh, no-" His words became indistinguishable mumbles and none were surprised when he slide down the wall he had been leaning against.

Wolf sat down on one side of him, Snake on the other, while Eagle and Badger crouched in front of them. When Wolf put his arm around Ben, he felt the man leaning into the one-armed hug, accepting the comfort.

Ben regained his composure about two minutes later. When Ben pulled away from Wolf a bit, Gecko quietly asked, "So what exactly happened? If you don't mind my asking, that is."

Ben nodded his head. He knew that they all wanted to find out. And even though it would cause him great pain to relive the worst day of his life, he knew that the soldiers deserved to hear what had happened to their surrogate younger brother.

Taking a deep breath, he started speaking emotionlessly, "I don't know how much Wolf told you. Basically, Al had recently come home from his last mission and was at the bank being debriefed. Aiden was here as I was babysitting him for Al. When a couple of hours passed and I heard nothing from Alex, I began to worry. We all know how demanding MI6 is and I just thought they were asking a million unnecessary questions or asking his opinion on some situation as they often do. But at a certain point, the time frame just became too long without any news.

"At that point in time, I started calling Alex's cell phone in a greater earnest. I had left a few messages just to see if he would respond and tell me anything earlier. Finally, Alex picked up his phone and told me that he had been chased ever since exiting the bank and seemed to be unable to shake his pursuers. He asked me to come help him out and I called Wolf to watch Aiden."

"Why didn't Cub call sooner?" Gecko questioned.

"Probably reverted into his stupid mindset that he was invincible, wasn't going to get, and didn't need to ask for help," Snake commented. Several of the soldiers snorted as they knew it to be very true.

"He actually had a reason this time," Ben interjected.

"That's a first," Badger commented.

"Yea, well, he thought he left his phone at home, but it was really just off in his pocket. I'm ashamed to say that when I hung up with Alex I talked with Wolf for quite a few minutes. If I hadn't, I'd probably at least have been able to say good-bye. Plus, he was pretty sure he knew who had chased him and was going to tell me when I called back. But he never picked up the phone again."

"It's not your fault," Wolf murmured quietly.

Ben nodded before continuing, "I tracked his phone to the end of a long pier with no one in sight. There were some drops of blood on the boards near the end and it was obvious that whoever had stood where Alex's phone lay was injured. He probably drowned to death after being shot at least once, if not multiple times."

The men were silent for a minute before Snake spoke up, "He might not have suffered. He could've been shot and killed instantly for all we know. It could've been quick and painless. We can't dwell on how he died because there's no way to know for certain."

"How do we know?" Eagle questioned, speaking up for the first time since Ben had started talking, though he was still staring at the floor.

"How do we know what?" Wolf questioned gruffly, obviously upset and trying to hide it.

"I mean, how do we know that he actually is dead? I mean, how many times in the past have we thought him to be dead and it turned out that he wasn't? Just because he lost his cell phone and there's a bit of blood somewhere does not mean that he's dead. The evidence is inconclusive. And so what if he was shot? That doesn't mean he's dead. He probably was knocked into the water or jumped in, swam away, and got back to shore someplace else. Cub's probably sitting in one of his safe houses right now laughing to himself at how long it's taking us to figure it out and find him. Or maybe he's sitting in his safe house badly injured with no hope of help coming."

Eagle raised his head to look at them and there was a fierce determination in his eyes, "I've given up on Cub before when things look bad. I won't do it again."

Ben sighed, "I called MI6 almost directly after finding the phone by the water. They called me back when they had found his body in the water. He was shot in the middle of his back. There were several other wounds on his body that could only have come from bullets that he almost didn't manage to dodge."

Silence reigned as each soldier silently grieved. If a body hadn't been looked for or found, then there was always the hope that their worst fears hadn't come true. But if MI6 said that Alex was dead and they had a body, then Alex was dead.

Aiden walked into the room and over to where his uncle sat on the floor, "What's going on? Where's daddy? When's he going to come home?"

"Aiden…." Ben started with tears in his eyes. He did not want to have to be the one to tell the kid. But this was _Alex's _kid.

"Daddy promised he was going to take me to the park today and that we'd get some ice cream," Aiden added when Ben did not immediately answer his questions.

Ben stood up and scooped Aiden up and brought him to the living room where the kid had been playing video games. He sat down on the couch with the boy in his lap.

"Aiden. Your dad's not going to be home to bring you to the park today."

"Oh. Can he bring me to the park tomorrow then?"

"I'm sorry, kiddo. He won't be able to bring you to the park again. I'm afraid he won't be coming home this time."

"What do you mean? Why can't he come home? Doesn't he still love me?" Aiden asked in a small voice.

"Of course he still loves you, Aiden. There's nothing in the world that could keep him from loving you. Do you remember what your daddy told you when you asked him about your mommy?"

"Yea. He said mommy won't be coming home again as she had to make a long trip. But he always told me that she was watching over me even though I couldn't see her."

"That's right. And now your dad has to go on the long trip. He's gone to be with your mom. But he'll always be with you."

They sat in silence until Aiden looked up at his uncle with tears in his eyes, "Is daddy dead?"

Ben choked back a sob, "Yea, kiddo. I'm so sorry."

(PAGE BREAK)

A few hours later found Ben and Wolf sitting around the kitchen table.

"What's going to happen next?" Wolf asked.

"Next…next we move on with our lives. We care for Aiden and give him the life that Alex would've wanted him to have."

"How can we just move on and forget about Alex? He changed me. Heck, he changed all of us. Are we just to forget everything that he was and pretend he never existed?"

Ben shook his head, "That's not what I meant. We can and should mourn him, but we need to remember that he is gone and not let that hold us back from doing things. Alex deserved to be remembered. He'll stay with us through our memories. But we also need to focus on our own needs and Aiden's needs. Alex wouldn't have wanted us to just forget about his kid or our own well-being simply because he wasn't around anymore."

Wolf nodded slowly, "It's going to be hard."

"Never said it wasn't."

"I don't get how you're even in one piece right now, Fox. Your best friend and brother has just died and you've been left with all of his things and his child. How can you sit there so calmly and think about the future?"

Ben looked down, "One of the downsides of becoming a spy is that you lose part of yourself. You lose the ability to express strong emotions because it could mean the death of you, your partner, or the world. In the spy world there is almost never any time to sit down and grieve or succumb to the pain you are feeling. There's always something else to be done and any breakdowns generally spells destruction. After a few years of this, it seeps into one's life at home as well because you just become so numb to everything."

Wolf nodded. It was a pretty true statement for his own line of work, though so much more prominent in the spy life than his own.

"Alex's funeral is in one week's time. MI6 is arranging everything."

"It's going to be pretty crowded there," Wolf commented. "The kid made a lot of friends and allies in all of his years of work. Someone gets suspected for some heinous crime and the kid's there defending the person and giving all of these reasons why that person wouldn't and couldn't have done it. Granted, a lot of that type of people aren't going to be there because they're criminals and wouldn't risk getting caught. But still."

"Yea, some will show up in disguise. Others will just find a quiet time to visit his grave. I'm just waiting for the day that one of them shows up here to offer their condolences," Ben added.

Wolf snorted, "That would be the day. But you have to admit that it's pretty unlikely that they would risk everything to visit a spy that doesn't know who they are and will quite possibly call MI6 on them."

Ben nodded, "We should head over to Alex's place sometimes soon and get Aiden's stuff. MI6 offered to take the boy in, but there's no way I'm going to hand Aiden over like that and I'll enjoy having him around. We can sort out Alex's stuff at a later date."

"We?" Wolf questioned.

"Yes, we. And K-Unit too if they want. Just because I was the closest to Alex does not mean that the rest of you weren't really close to him as well."

Wolf nodded, "Let's go get Aiden's stuff now so that the kid can have a few more of his toys over here."

The two stood up and exited the house. Gecko was watching Aiden for the day so they didn't need to worry about him and the soldiers had all gone home an hour or so after Ben formally broke the news to Aiden.

Healing would take time, but it was still yet achievable. They would keep living for Alex, even if he was only just a memory now.


	12. The Funeral and Aftermath

A/N: Thanks for all of the AMAZING reviews! I love you guys. The only thing I have to say, though, is that I got a lot of reviews and questions from people listed only as 'guest'. Unfortunately, none of your questions can be answered because I have no clue who you are and cannot reply to your review. Sorry!

Disclaimer: I don't own Alex Rider or anything else owned by Anthony Horowitz!

Chapter 11:

The funeral was held at the same cemetery that Ian Rider's had been all those years ago. Alex was buried in the plot of land between Ian Rider and John Rider.

Ben tuned out everything being said by the priest and instead took the time to gaze around at all of the gatherers. He immediately recognized several MI6 spies, both disguised and not, as well as a few foreign agents that he had met on missions with Alex. There was a man standing off to one side with a stony expression on his face, as well as a woman with tears streaming down her face on the other side.

The one thing that stood out to Ben, though, was the fact that while all of these people COULD be expressionless if they desired, not one expression there could not be read by anyone with a little bit of training. It seemed as though all of the gatherers felt that Alex's death was something to be sad about and let the world know it. Expressions meant connections and connections meant exploitation and death. However, the people gathered cared more for Alex than any of that and were unafraid to let people know it.

Ben noticed the fact that everyone had a gun strapped to their hip, and several people had more than one weapon on their person. It seemed that while Alex's funeral created neutral grounds for terrorists and government agents alike, no one was completely ready to declare a full truce. If a brawl were to start, Ben had no doubt that the neutral territory would break into a battleground as criminals tried to get away and the government tried to capture/kill them all. He hoped it didn't come to that. Likely, this cemetery would remain neutral grounds long after the funeral ended and people moved on with their lives.

Shaking his head, Ben took his mind away from the powerful people around him and focused once more on the priest before letting his mind wander once more into the depths of memories.

Beside him, Wolf was glaring at the ground in front of him as if it were responsible for Alex's death and not some unknown monsters. The kid should have still been alive. He should've grown up as a normal guy, finished school at Brooklands as a popular student at the top of his class, and graduated from University. He should've had some safe, successful job that led to a caring wife and a house in the suburbs of London. He should've had several kids that grew up in a good home with two parents who doted on them. Alex should've had lots of friends in innocent jobs and never know the terrors of the underworld and war. Alex should'v-STOP IT! There's nothing that can change now. He's dead and that's that. But-

Wolf growled angrily at him internal thoughts and instead took to watching Aiden who was standing next to Ben, both arms wrapped around the man's right leg. The little face was buried from sight in the dark pant-leg, a sight that would've been cute had it not been for the reason they were at the cemetery in the first place.

Before either man realized it, Alex's casket was being lowered into the ground and soil was being thrown on top. All of the unknown secrets that Alex had acquired throughout his lifetime were buried with him as the ground was leveled off. All Wolf could think about was how a world Alex had risked so much to protect from evil would never even know they had been in danger.

(PAGE BREAK)

Life continued on as normally as possible for the next few weeks. Wolf and the rest of K-Unit continued to babysit Aiden from time to time, Ben continued with work, and the sun still rose each day. There were small differences though. Like when Ben went to remind Alex that it was his Wednesday to make dinner. He'd be halfway through calling Alex's empty house before Aiden would walk into the room and Ben would remember. Or when Wolf would enter Ben's flat growling at Alex that he had better not have gotten himself hurt again. Only to be reminded by the pained look on Ben's face that Alex was no longer there. Small instances that brought stabs of pain through the men each and every time.

Another change was that D-Unit came around to check on Ben and Aiden any time they had leave. They seemed to understand more than most just how much K-Unit and Ben were hurting over the death of a teammate. So when Ben came home after work about two weeks after the traumatic event and found his refrigerator restocked and the flat cleaner than when he left, he realized just how important comrades are. Not just in war, but as home as well.

Aiden, a boy of seven years old, didn't seem to fully comprehend that he would never see his dad again. After his mature understanding the day Ben informed the boy, Aiden seemed to adopt an even younger outlook and comprehended things the same way a normal five year old would. While this regression worried Ben, he also knew that Aiden had always been a bit too mature for his age. The only noticeable change in Aiden was that he was a bit more subdued at times. His eyes had lost a bit of their childish spark. He had been too young to really remember his mother. However, he fully remembered most of the days spent with his father and the loss, whether he consciously grasped it or not, hurt him deeply.

For his part, Ben spent as much time as possible at home with Aiden. He took care of the boy with a greater fervor than most fathers and spent every second possible with the boy. It was his own way of grieving. More major differences in Ben were seen primarily by K-Unit who noticed the man getting thinner as time went on, accepting more missions, and growing larger and larger bags under his eyes. Nightmares plagued his sleep, leaving him sick with grief and guilt. All of his energy was poured out into the small boy whose father had meant so much. Whose father would never see the light of day again.

**A/N: Hey! Long time no write. REALLY SORRY about that. I have just had soooo much schoolwork its not even funny. Sorry that this chapter is a little bit short, but there really isn't much left in this story. IMPORTANT:: NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE THE EPILOGUE AND THEN THERE WILL BE A SEQUEL FOLLOWING IT. Many people have asked about said sequel. I am telling you now that there WILL BE A SEQUEL. **

**Hope you enjoyed it! Its pretty different from the other chapters….(aka, doesn't have like any dialogue)**


End file.
